Recommendations for Future Social Science Ecstasy Research. (Letter to the Editor) (Letter to the Editor‪)‬

Dear Editor: A patent was issued to the Merck chemical company in 1914 to produce 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or 'ecstasy') as an appetite suppressant (Beck and Rosenbaum, 1994). With the exception of several isolated animal studies during the 1950's, the compound was ignored until the late 1960's. During the 1970's and early 1980's MDMA gained popularity as both an adjunct to psychotherapy and as a recreational drug. In July 1985, however, reports of potential neurotoxicity in laboratory animals led the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to categorize MDMA as a Schedule 1 substance, a classification reserved for drugs that are deemed to have high abuse potential and that have no accepted medical value.